My Eyes, Your Eyes
by NoCareChakara
Summary: A girl and her wolf, battered from head to toe, make their way to Konoha in attempt to escape their painful past. Who can help her? KibaOC [CHAPTER 3 IS UP! ]
1. Introducing: Maria and Val

**My Eyes, Your Eyes**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Sasuke would be a SASKUATCH!**

On the outskirts of Konoha, two figures race through the thick of the forests. The figures where that of an exhausted, battered up twelve year old girl; her eyes were silver with light blue blended in, her light brown hair matted and tinted with blood, ran half way down her back; covering various deep wounds that were scattered across it. Her blue, spaghetti strapped top was ripped at her waist, her chest and back where large amounts of blood leaked; dying the blue top purple. Her black jeans were ripped in various placing on her thighs, shins and calves; these wounds also leaked blood.

The other figure was curled into the girl's arms; it was a pure black wolf. The wolf too was heavily battered and poured blood from various scars. The wolf was vibrating in pain, shock and fright; this caught her tired master's attention. The girl's eyes began to drip warm tears; she couldn't care less about her own life, but she couldn't live if her only real friend in the world, who was currently shaking in her arms, were to pass.

The girl's body ached; it screamed at her to stop, but the girl ignored what her body told her and continued to listen to her heart: _Run, Maria, RUN! You can't let her die, you WON'T let her die! Keep running! KEEP RUNNING!_ With her heart guiding her, she continued to dash through the foliage of the forest. She clutched the wolf close to her heart; hoping that her body would warm the wolf, but to no avail. Maria let more tears flow from her eyes as she dashed closer to the Konohan border; what if they refuse to help her, to help Val! Maria closed her eyes shut at this thought which resulted in her tripping over a roaming root. Maria and Val were sent flying; Maria collapsed next to the root whilst Val was flung from her master's arms and hurdled towards the Earth meters away.

Maria's legs refused to lift; so she placed the palms of her hands firmly on the ground and lifted her upper torso; she cast her gaze upon the helpless black wolf meters away,

'_If I cannot run, then I shall drag Val to safety!'_

Maria pulled her weight across the Earth until she was beside her wolf; she looked at her for a moment, why was she so blurry? After glaring at the shivering blur before her, she brought her head to the Earth and let it rest on the unforgiving and cold dirt.

'_Val, I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't help you, I'm sorry I got into this mess, I'm sorry…I'm sorry I'm so weak…'_

With those last thoughts, her mind shut down; leaving Maria unconscious.


	2. Recovery and Greeting

**My Eyes, Your Eyes**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Sasuke would be a SASKUATCH!**

_**Maria's POV**_

'_Ouch. My head…no, my whole body is throbbing with pain. Urgh, I wonder how Val is doing…gasp…VAL!'_

I lifted myself from what I thought was the Earth, only to be stricken with pain and collapse back down on a…futon? I opened my eyes and looked to my surroundings; I was in a hospital. Surely MY village wouldn't take me back; they'd probably kill me on the spot. Wait a minute…could this be-

Suddenly, two women came through the door to my hospital room; one had very pretty pink hair, whilst the other one was a blonde head… OMG! Did she get a boob implant? Ewwww! Anyway, that aside, the two were surprised to find me awake,

"Welcome to the conscious world," the blonde one greeted with a smile on her face, "When Kurenai found you three weeks ago, they thought you were a goner."

My eyes widened,

"THREE WEEKS!" I screamed at the top of my somewhat tired lungs, "OH my GOD! I, how, when did, where's Val!" I screamed yet again.

"Val?" the strawberry top questioned, "OH! You must mean that little wolf pup, she's fine; she's being taken care of by the best vet in Konoha."

My face lit up at those words; Val was safe, AND I WAS IN KONOHA! I was truly eager to see how Val was, so I tried to scoot my leg to the edge of the bed in an attempt to prepare my body to stand; but to no avail, my body struck with another shot of pain,

"Don't get up;" the strawberry pleaded/ordered, "Your body still needs to recover."

"Sakura is right, um," the blondie added

"Maria"

"Maria, Sakura is right; your body is too weak from your wounds. Not only did you injure yourself from what we presume is a fight, but your muscles were so over worked; we figured you ran for days!" the blonde remarked, she brought herself to the edge of my hospital bed and smiled a relaxing smile, "I'm the Godaime; the present Hokage of Konoha. This is my student; Haruno Sakura," Sakura waved at me, I managed to curve my lips to create a greeting smile; stung like hell though.

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura began, "Why don't you return to your office, I'll talk to Maria for a while." The Godaime smiled at her then left the room. Sakura then came closer to me and sat on a chair beside my bed. She was smiling a lot; how could she trust me so, shouldn't she be wondering who I was, where I was from, why I was here?

"Did you wish to ask me something?" I began; she looked to me and loosened her smile,

"Maria, what exactly happened to you? When Kurenai brought you here; you were in such bad shape, I thought you were already dead!" Was I really that bad?

"Well, I was attacked. Val and I aren't exactly the pride and joy of my village you know. I don't know why, but the villagers constantly looked to me like I was a freak, Val too. They diverted their attention to Val more though," I paused; Sakura seemed a tad interested in my tale, "I was the only one who went near Val; others ran at the mere sight of her…just because she is different…"

"Wait, so you were attacked because your wolf was despised?" Sakura interrupted in shock, I ignored her and continued,

"Val was considered a freak; I was too since I was 'crazy' enough to even enjoy her company," thinking this made my fist shake; sure it hurt my tired muscles, but those bastards can go to hell! "All this happened because Val was attacked. I defended her. The Kaze didn't find my act approving, so he exiled us; and where I come from, when you're banished, you don't just pack up and leave. Your clan name is removed from your own so the clan doesn't receive a bad image then are stripped of all of you own, excluding your clothing and headband if acquired, then you are kicked out…literally."

Sakura stared at me wide eyed; her jaw slightly hung from the rest of her skull.

"Um, Maria, what exactly is it about Val that is so despicable?" I froze for a moment, sighed, then decided to answer her question,

"When you found Val and I; did you see what color Val was?"

"Yes, she was pure black"

"Sigh… usually, most canines have one set of fur…Val doesn't." Sakura's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets at any moment, "Her fur changes color with her emotions; when she is in pain, her fur turns fully black. When she is happy; her black coat shows golden stripes along her back. When she is angry; her markings turn a blood red." Sakura's eyes narrowed a little; I could tell she was in thought.

"How can fur change scare your village to such an extent?" Sakura questioned after a silence. I really didn't want to say; it kills me inside to think about it. But If I am to be trusted, I must.

"Sigh…when she turns blood red…she grows in size. Not just a little; she grows 240 times her size." Sakura then gave me her wide eyed stare again; don't her eyes hurt form doing that? Anyway, "That, and when she turns red; she becomes a…" I froze there; I couldn't bear to say it, my heart was already beginning to clench at the thought of it, but I had to…I had to… "…a…a…sigh…a monster…" I could feel my heart stab itself in pain; Val was no monster! Yet…I just called her one…

_**Normal POV**_

Haruno Sakura glared at the girl in the hospital bed; her eyes seemed to sadden. Sakura gave a heartfelt and sorry gaze, though it did seem like a pity smile at the time. Maria let a tear escape from her eyelid; Sakura noticed and brushed it off her face with her thumb. Maria looked up in surprise to find Sakura smiling a reassuring smile.

"Maria-san, don't worry about it; I saw her with my own two eyes, no monster in sight." Maria felt her heart relax a little, "I need to see Tsunade-sama. Hey Maria, don't worry, you'll be one of us in no time." Maria's face lit up at those words,

"REALLY! THANK YOU SAKURA-CHAN!" Maria replied her voice so full of hope and gratitude; it would kill someone to say no.

Four days later, Maria was fully rested and could leave the hospital. Her first order of business was to greet the Hokage and to enquire about her citizenship, the next was to pick up Val, then look for some decent clothing since her originals were heavily torn and dyed red.

Maria stopped in front of a large building; it faced a beautiful monument with faces carved in to it. It truly was a beautiful sight to behold.

Maria walked nervously up the stairs in the building; what if the Godaime won't accept her or Val? Where were they to go then? Maria began sweating nervously as these negative thoughts multiplied in her mind. Thankfully, a familiar face was in front of the Hokage's door.

"H-hello Sakura-chan" Maria greeted nervously,

"Hi Maria-chan. You look like you just saw a ghost. You're nervous huh?" Maria nodded slowly, Sakura smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Maria-chan, you'll do fine. Besides, I'm gonna be right outside if you need me." Sakura finished with a smile. Maria smiled back and nodded now that her courage was restored. Sakura stepped to one side and opened the door for Maria. Maria entered the room; it was big! Maria took a couple of steps forward, paused then waited for the Godaime to speak. Tsunade was sitting at her desk; her chair was facing the monument. Maria waited patiently for five minutes with out a stir, soon, Tsunade let out a chuckle which confused Maria a little.

"You're very patient Maria-chan," Tsunade spoke, "I expected for you to cough, speak, whistle or something to get my attention. You're very patient indeed." Tsunade then spun around in her chair to face Maria who was smiling happily due to the comment, "Anyway, Sakura told me about your little mishap earlier; it's completely understandable to protect someone important to you. Is this wolf important to you?" Maria began nodding furiously at that comment.

"Yes, indeed she is Hokage-sama." Maria added politely. Tsunade smirked approvingly,

"So far, the information I have gathered is that you are: a VERY young jounin, once a member of the Village of the Hidden Rain, Val is your pet/fighting partner, you are dedicated to those who are important to you and your tolerance level is surprisingly high…" There was a small pause, then a smile appeared on Tsunade's face, "You are to discard your Hidden Rain headband for safety reasons, only to have it be replaced by that of the Hidden Leaf. Your title will remain jounin, no retests needed" Maria's face lit up, Tsunade then opened a drawer from her desk and handed Maria a bag of money. Maria's face was so happy, it would make even the tightest person smile. Maria then looked up to Tsunade and gave her a hug! Tsunade was taken back by this, but smiled down at the smile bloomed girl.

Maria released her grip from Tsunade then inquired where to find Val. Tsunade showed Maria to the window and pointed to the Inuzuka clan abode. Maria thanked Tsunade once again then bounded out the door. Tsunade laughed to herself,

'_She's the adorable version of Naruto. With a lot more common sense…'_

Maria happily strode down the roads of Konoha with her amazing smile still plastered on her face. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Maria soon reached the Inuzuka clan abode; she stared at it in awe.

'_It's so…beautiful. Their garden is so nice! The flowers smell great! Huh? Wait a second…I smell something, other than flowers…CANINES! Of course! Inu means dog! Man, I'm slow today!' _ Maria chuckled to herself then walked to the door of the abode. She introduced herself and her purpose to the guards and was escorted in by one. Maria was 'greeted' by a boy in a grey jacket attempting to bolt out the door. He instantly collided into Maria, both of them were sent flying.

Maria landed on her feet whilst the boy landed on his backside. Maria giggled at the boy who was now giving her an angry glare. Maria, who was still giggling, walked over to the boy and offered a hand up.

"I don't need your help!" he snapped, lifting himself from the ground. Maria took her hand back and apologized. The boy huffed,

"Whatever…"

Maria felt somewhat offended, but refused to show it. There was a small silence until Maria felt something tickle her chest,

"OH! Is he yours?" Maria inquired. The boy looked to her confused,

"Is what mine?"

Maria pulled out a little white puppy from her arms, the boy went wide eyed,

"When did he-"

"I caught him when we collided. He was shaking a little so I tried to calm him a little." Maria interrupted. The boy glared at her then took back the pup. Maria saddened a little, this time, her emotions were clear. The boy noticed then loosened up,

"Well, thanks. Hi, the name's Inuzuka Kiba." Kiba remarked and held out his hand. Maria's head snapped up and cast her eyes to his face; it had a kawaii grin plastered on it,

'_Cute grin…'_

Maria then took his hand and shook it and introduced herself. She also explained her purpose for her being in the abode. Kiba looked to her with shock,

"You're that girl!"

"Huh?" Maria inquired

"That girl: the one who was discovered a month ago outside the Konoha border. MAN! When sensei told us of your injuries, we thought you would…ya know…" Kiba put his hand to his throat, Maria got the message.

"Yea, well, how's Val doing?"

"Um, Val?"

"My wolf" Maria, well, chuckled. Kiba then placed his hand behind his head and shrugged.

"My sister's taking care of her. I'd take you to her myself, but I'm late to practice, Sorry Maria-san" Kiba apologized. Maria nodded an O.K. then watched Kiba leave,

'_Hmph…he really is kawaii…'_


	3. Hi BYE!

**My Eyes, Your Eyes**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Sasuke would be a SASKUATCH!**

Maria gazed back in the direction of the departing boy; she chuckled to herself thinking. She then diverted her attention back to the escorting guard who took her farther into the estate. They finally reached a room where a woman with red triangles on her face was petting and feeding several wolves.

'_Didn't that Kiba person have those markings? Maybe it's the clan trade mark or something…'_

The guard caught the woman's attention. She lifted herself off the floor, brushed herself of the canine fur and smiled to Maria,

"Konnichiwa, I recognize you from a month ago; you're that girl who was found on the outskirts. Are you here to check up on your pup?" the woman asked politely. Maria nodded, "Right this way, oh, and you can return to your post sir." The woman announced to the guard and he left. Maria and the woman began walking further into the room; it was big… "Oh, I'm Hana by the way; I've been taking care of your pup." She paused and smiled at Maria; the smile seemed half greeting and half concerned…

"I'm Maria…um, what is Val's condition?" Maria asked concerned, the concerned half of Hana's smile was wiped away to be replaced with a content one,

"She's perfectly ok now, but I'll tell you this; IT WASN'T EASY!" Maria and Hana laughed quietly. Maria then cast her gaze on the numerous canines in the Inuzuka abode; there were so many! "Lots of dogs, non?" Hana commented, Maria nodded her head slowly, Hana laughed, "The Inuzuka clan is known for its large number of canines and its use with canines. Each Inuzuka member has the ability to communicate with dogs and teach them jutsus. These canines are then allowed to participate with their masters in spars and exams; its really quite amazing to see dogs fighting with jutsus." Hana informed; Maria listened carefully and smiled,

"My old clan was like that…" Hana looked to Maria in confusion, "We have similar abilities; communication with dogs, teaching them jutsus etc. but there are differences; we can communicate with ALL animals-" Hana cut her off before she could finish,

"WO, WO, WO! Wait a second, your OLD clan? How can that…Oh…you must be an exile from the Rain, correct?" Maria nodded slowly and sorrowfully. "I really hate that village," Maria's eyes snapped open then shifted themselves to Hana, "their rules are idiotic, their citizens are heavily biased, their ninja's are worked to death at such early ages… I can't stand that place; it's far too harsh!" Hana finished in anger, Maria's gaze of shock altered into a gaze of joy; someone was actually on her side! Hana then turned her gaze to Maria; they both smiled to each other and continued to walk (one BIG room!). Hana and Maria reached the end of the enormous room to find a dog bed made of blue silk sheets; in it, was a sleeping wolven pup with black and gold fur. Maria smiled happily and thanked Hana graciously, "No problem Maria. She just fell asleep, so why don't you stay here until she wakes?" Maria nodded thankfully then kneeled beside her pal.

'_Aw, Val, your so kawaii when your asleep…'_

Hana left the two to prepare lunch. The canines' gazes followed Hana out, and then turned to Maria. She smiled and waved; the dogs gave her an odd look. Maria ignored the glares and looked to her wolf; a smile was smeared across her little, sleeping face. Something caught Maria's eye; Val's golden stripes were changing color…they turned silver!

'_What! She has never turned silver before! -Pause- what could this emotion be? -Another pause- think Maria think! What emotions have Val expressed? Anger; that makes her markings red, joy turns the markings gold, sorrow, fright and pain make them black, love… oh my god…NO WAY!'_

Maria was glaring at Val in shock; Val's markings were glowing silver brightly, her lips still showing a little canine smile, her tail swaying gracefully from side to side; ruffling the silk sheets below her. Maria couldn't believe it…Val found herself a crush this past month…

'_Aw…Val…that's so adorable! Who could the lucky canine be?'_ Maria joked to herself, letting a light giggle escape her lips. She then glanced around the room to find various wolves/dogs glancing at her.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that" Maria blushed

"BARK!" (Is that bitch yours?) A/N: BTW: the dogs are using the proper term to describe a female canine a grey wolf questioned.

"Yes, she is," Maria paused to cast a loving smile at the glowing one, only to giggle again.

"Bark, bark, woof, bark" (How does she do that? No one has ever seen a dog with changing fur! When she first came; she was pure black with the most slices in her we have ever seen. Next thing we knew; she was black and gold, fully healed and prancing around; playing tag with the other pups. It's very confusing) Maria giggled at the canine's confusion,

"Her markings change color with her emotions: sorrow, fright or pain make her markings black, joy turns them gold, anger, which I recommend you try your hardest to avoid, turns them blood red." The grey wolf huffed a small laugh then looked to her again,

"Woof?" (What does silver mean?) Maria cast her gaze upon the hard wood floor,

"I don't know; she has never turned silver before. I have a hunch though, but I can't just jump to conclusions; I'll ask her when she wakes."

The canines soon felt a little more secure around Maria; they came closer and let her pet them. They were drawn into a large conversation by the time Hana returned with lunch,

"Ha, do you have a pokey in your clothes or something? Speaking of clothing, is that all you have?" Hana kneeled down and handed Maria a plate of rice, sushi and maki. Maria graciously took it, snapped the chopsticks that were laid next to the sushi and began devouring the fresh food. Hana blinked at her hunger, smirked then got off the floor, "Anyway, I have some spare clothes that might fit you, would you like to borrow them?" This offer made Maria's rice covered face shoot up. Hana laughed, "I'll take that as a yes. I'll be right back." With that, she left the room. Maria blinked whilst the dogs laughed a little, Maria then looked at her own face from the glass face; only to laugh at her own face in the reflection. She then picked the rice off her face and put them in her mouth.

After a truly appealing meal, Maria placed the plate on her lap and began carefully cutting a slice of shrimp into small pieces,

'_Val would kill me if she found out that I ate shrimp and didn't save any for her! Giggle, good thing I remembered'_

Hana returned shortly with a blue T-shirt, almost the same tint as the one Maria was currently wearing, black, baggy trousers and black gloves. Maria smiled to Hana to receive the same back. She took the clothes and was directed to the nearest bathroom. Maria went in the direction Hana pointed to, changed, and returned to find Val fully awake, wagging her tail and not a single trace of silver in sight. Maria called out to Val, who instantly turned around. Joy filled Val's soft blue eyes as they connected with Maria's silvery blue ones. Val bounded over to Maria and leapt into her lap. Maria brought the pup close to her chest and let tears of joy roll down her face.

The other wolves and Hana looked to Maria and Val with awe; they shared so much love, it gave off such a wonderful vibe. Hana strolled over to Maria with the shrimp she so carefully sliced for Val. Val jumped up and began digging her adorable black muzzle into the shrimp pieces, Maria giggled along with the other wolves.

After Val played for a while with the other pups, she and Maria said goodbye to Hana and the others. Hana had earlier allowed Maria to keep the clothes which was definitely a help to Maria. Maria decided that if she was going to live here, she would have to buy some furniture, clothing and accessories for the apartment the Hokage gave her.

Maria first stopped at a furniture store: in it she bought a white double bed and a blue single bed, two wardrobes, a rosewood dinning table with matching chairs, a black couch, white bedside tables etc. In the next store: she bought formal clothing, casuals, fighting clothing, shoes, weaponry and accessories for Val. It was one heck of a shopping spree! Maria had to stop by the apartment six times to drop off bags!

All of the furniture was successfully delivered to Maria's apartment and situated in the places that appealed to Maria. She then stretched herself out and plopped down on her new and heavenly couch.

'_OH! This couch is HEAVEN!' _

Val then began to tug on Maria's trousers; Maria looked down to find Val's puppy dog eyes pleading for food. A sound then echoed across the apartment, it originated from Maria's stomach… Maria blushed and Val burst out laughing. Maria glared at Val, catching her attention, she then dove off the couch and swooped her up. She glared at Val in the eyes, Val shivered a little, then, Maria drew her into a hug.

Maria grabbed her keys and the two departed for dinner.

'_I saw some ramen place earlier, it smelt good.'_

Maria repeated her thoughts to Val who remembered the scent. Val lead Maria to the Ichiraku stand where amazing aromas filled the air. Maria raced Val to the stand; both of them raced as if their lives depended on it. Maria won by a hair, she boasted wordlessly to Val with a content grin. Val growled at her; she just laughed. The two were too caught up in their own little world to realize three faces glaring at them.

"Hey, it's her again," one said,

"Bark!"

"Her who?" the other questioned,

"We ran into her earlier…literally…" Kiba answered.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled to Maria. He had successfully captured her attention,

"Um, hello?" she exclaimed, acknowledging his presence, she then blushed to find Kiba there as well, grinning and waving a hand at her. Her eyes scrolled down to find Akamaru in his jacket, "Hey Kiba, Akamaru." At Maria's announcement of a certain canine, Val began to turn silver again.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOUR DOG!" the loud blonde yelled. Maria looked to Val, to find her markings shining silver

'_So THIS is the lucky pup…'_

Maria laughed at Naruto, introduced herself and explained Val's situation ALL over again (It was the third time today!) once she was done, the blonde kid glared at the wolf in shock. There was ACTUALLY silence! Kiba turned to Naruto, waiting for him to remark, but the remark never came; instead, he lifted himself from his seat and walked home (OO;;;) Kiba then turned to Maria; who was smiling ever so sweetly, huffed, lifted himself from his stool and shook Maria's hand!

"THAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOU!" Kiba exaggerated. Maria blushed when his hand made contact with hers. She swallowed and blinked at Kiba. Kiba stopped shaking and noticed Maria's confused face. "It's been HOURS since he started talking, it's about time he shut his yap!" Maria let out a small laugh, soon to be joined by Kiba.

Akamaru watched the two humans laughing then diverted his attention to the wolven bitch (again, using the correct term) who was currently glowing black and silver.

'_She's so…preeeeeeetty!' _(Akamaru is a cute little puppy, and I'm the author, so I decide how the pup talks. I gave him a little kid voice…for now…)

Akamaru leapt from his master's jacket, letting the two humans talk amongst themselves while he went to play with Val. Kiba offered Maria a bowl of ramen on him, Maria looked at him wide eyed and began babbling about how she couldn't possibly, only to have her mouth covered by Kiba's hand. Maria blushed at his sudden reaction,

"Relax, I'm ok with it." Maria nodded and Kiba slid his hand off her mouth. Maria then remained quiet, only speaking to order and to say her thanks. After a single bowl of ramen, Maria felt like she would literally explode. "That's it?" Kiba questioned, Maria nodded, "Puft! Naruto would be chocking on his own laughter if he heard that." Maria looked to him in utter confusion, "Naruto devours about ten bowls of ramen per meal…" Maria's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, Kiba laughed. The two continued to talk for about two hours; the topics ranged from ramen to the sky falling (again OO;;;), romance to horror, nature to death…very odd topic changes indeed… the two then looked to the sky to find white stars painted across the sky.

"Well, it's getting late, see you later Kiba-kun" Maria waved goodbye and called for Val

"See ya later Maria-chan" Kiba returned her farewell then called for Akamaru.

The two waited for about two minutes and still no pups came. The two began scanning the scenery; neither pup were in sight! Maria and Kiba began to panic. Maria frantically began calling out to Val, same with Kiba, but neither pup were found.

"VAL! GET HERE NOW!" Maria yelled

"AKAMARU! AKAMARU THIS IS NO TIME FOR GAMES! GET HERE NOW!" Kiba yelled alternatively. The two nin looked to each other with worry in their eyes, "Come on!" Kiba yelled grabbing Maria's wrist, "Those two couldn't have gone far!" he yelled pulling Maria behind him. Maria was blushing, but at the same time, kind of annoyed since she was TRYING to perform a tracking jutsu…

"Kiba-kun, hold up"

"ARE YOU CRAZY! AKAMARU IS MISSING! I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE!" Kiba yelled at her face. Maria took a step back at his fury, Kiba saw her face and calmed down, "sorry…"

"It's ok, look, we were talking for an hour plus, those two could be on the other side of Konoha by now. Their scents would have faded, so, I'll try using my tracking jutsu. However, I need an item belonging to Akamaru for the jutsu to work, I already have one belonging to Val." Maria explained holding up Val's brush, Kiba nodded and handed her a collar. "That'll do." Maria placed the two items on the floor and began performing various hand seals; ox, horse, rat, horse, ram, ox, then called out: "**TRACKING NO JUTSU!**" suddenly, two sets of paw prints were glowing green on the road, Kiba glared at them in wonder. "THIS WAY!" Maria yelled, it was now her turn to yank Kiba by his wrists.

'_Val…once I find you, you are SO dead!'_

'_Akamaru, I swear, you are in so much trouble, you're gonna regret it!'_


	4. That Lake

**My Eyes, Your Eyes**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Sasuke would be a SASKUATCH!**

**Maria's POV**

* * *

Kiba and I have been following the tracks for about half and hour now; where could those two possibly be heading? I tightened my grip around his wrist; I think I heard him wince…

"Um…Maria…" I turned to face him, "Are you planning on suffocating my hand or keep searching for Akamaru and Val?" I loosened my grip,

"Sorry Kiba…I'm just so mad! The second I find Val she's DEAD!" I then realized that I still hadn't let go of his wrist, "OH! SORRY!"

"No problem, once I find Akamaru, he's DOG MEAT!" I winced a little at his words.

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Don't you agree?" I thought for a moment.

"I see you're point. WHEN I FIND VAL SHE'S DOG MEAT!" The two of us sped up and followed the tracks. We swerved through buildings, alleyways, people, trees, and practically everything until we came to a small lake. It was beautiful. I was now night time and a full moon was out, making the lake shimmer in the moon's glory. There was a Sakura tree blooming on the edge of the lake and dragonflies and fireflies dancing around the lake. I stopped for a moment to look at the breath taking view while Kiba just put his hands in his pockets.

"Come on, we have to find Akamaru and Val." I nodded, but kept my eyes plastered on that beautiful lake... it was just so enchanting... I didn't take my eyes off it until a tree blocked my view. We continued to follow the route until we saw them. Both were playing tag, Akamaru chasing Val like there was no tomorrow and Val running like she just ate four pounds of sugar. Kiba and I marched right up to them, our arms crossed and our eyes glinting with rage.

"Val..." I said sternly.

"Akamaru..." Kiba growled. The two canines looked to each other before bolting, "GET BACK HERE AKAMARU!"

"VAL!" We chased them through the trees and fields. Eventually, Val and Akamaru found the lake again and hid in the Sakura tree. Kiba and I searched the ground for them.

"Where did they go?"

"You're the one with the super smell, you track 'em genius!"

"I WOULD but the water and Sakura petals are the only thing I can smell right now. All these smells are interfearing and I can't get a clear path." I sighed and put my hands on my hips.

"Well, let's just find them as soon as possible. I don't want Val to get into any more trouble then she's already in." Kiba and I went our seperate ways to search for the two pups. After an hour, we collapsed on the lake edge, "Find anything?"

"Yes, I found Akamaru and taught him how to make himself invisble." Kiba stated angrily. I crossed my arms and turned away.

"There's no need to be rude you know, instead of making yourself sound useless." I said, smirking.

"WHAT!"

"The way you put it, it made you sound useless. You COULD have said that you found their scent but were unable to follow it, instead of sounding like extra weight."

"Ouch."

"Why thank you." I said, turning to him with an angry face. I sighed, "Sorry, but she knows better than to leave my side!"

"They way you put it, it's almost as if she's got no free will."

"She DOES! It's just... she can get into real trouble sometimes..." I said sadly, looking at the fish in the lake.

"Well, Akamaru shouldn't leave my side either. After all, we ARE parteners-"

"You're partners?" I exclaimed. Kiba nodded, "Cool, Val is my companion as well! Only... she doesn't need me to perform jutsus." I looked to the fish again and thought for a while. If only Val could be like fish: free to go where ever, when ever without a care. She also loves the water, so she'd be in the best environment. But if she was a fish, she would be one hell of a pain to catch and wouldn't be a very useful partner. I laughed to myself for a second and found Kiba staring at me like 'WTHeck?' "Nevermind..." Kiba shrugged and was about to stand when I had an apiffany, "I GOT IT!" Kiba's head snapped to me. I leaned forward and muttered some very strange words to any human ears... I was talking to the fish... "Greetings. I would like to inquire as to where two small canines have fled to." You see, fish are actually very formal and intelligent. Those who think fish forget every two seconds are just stupid.

"I believe both of them ran up that large Sakura tree earlier when you and that Inuzuka boy were pursuing them."

"Arigato, sir. If I had any offerings to give you for my gratitude, I would."

"Offerings are not needed, my dear. I'm just happy to help."

"Arigato, bye." I ended my talk with the fish and looked to the Sakura tree.

"What the heck was all that about?" Kiba questioned. I held my finger up in shush and pointed to the Sakura tree. The two of us sneaked over to the tree. I quickly and silently hopped up on the branch to find Val and Akamaru sleeping, Akamaru stretched out underneath Val who was lying on top of him in a neat ball. I motioned Kiba to get up. He came and gazed at them happily before I carefully took Val off Akamaru and Kiba took his pup. The two of us held them in tight as they slept. We dismounted the tree branch and looked to each other, "How did you know?" I giggled.

"Let's just say, fish are smarter than people give them." I then nodded to the water and the same fish jumped out of the water and dived back in. Kiba laughed quietly.

"You need to teach me the way of the fish." He laughed. I joined in.

"Well, all things considered, this was actually kind of fun."

"Yeah, we should do it again some time."

"Alright, only next time, these two won't disappear." Both of us laughed quietly before walking to our homes, I turned around once again to look out at the lake.

"Hey, you coming?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Coming."

* * *

**YEY! CHAPTER 4 IS DONE! (FINALLY XD)**


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